For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines: ANC outraged two of its councillors accused of rape and attempted rape, Auditor-General hammers KZN education dept over classrooms built after floods and, Rand hits worst level since 2020

ANC outraged two of its councillors accused of rape and attempted rape

The ANC has "condemned in the strongest possible terms" two of its councillors in Matlosana, in the North West and eMalahleni, in Mpumalanga who have been accused of rape and attempted rape.

The governing party's spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri described the alleged actions of the two councillors as "despicable and barbaric".

She added that the abuse and exploitation of women and children are an intolerable affront to the values of the ANC.

The 40-year-old ANC ward councillor in North West was arrested this past weekend in connection with two counts of statutory rape after sexually explicit videos and images of what appears to be the councillor surfaced on various social media platforms last week.

Auditor-General hammers KZN education dept over classrooms built after floods

After the deadly floods that ravaged KwaZulu-Natal last year, the provincial education department spent millions on classrooms for affected schools, many of which remain unsuitable.

Of the 74 mobile classrooms built at a cost of R18-million following torrential floods that destroyed 356 schools, an audit report revealed 16 classes were incomplete and unsuitable for learning.

This is the first time the Auditor-General of South Africa, Tsakani Maluleke, conducted an audit as money was being spent, rather than after the fact.

The AG attributed the delays to poor project monitoring and oversight across key stages.

Rand hits worst level since 2020

The rand has slumped to its worst level since April 2020, reaching R18.81/$ earlier on Wednesday.

Less than a year ago, it was trading below R15.30.

Global markets are jittery ahead of US inflation data, which will give some indication of where rates in the world's largest economy are headed.

Investors are used to South Africa offering much higher interest rates than developed markets like the US, which has made rand investments attractive.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter [@PolityZA]